Main Page                                                 Archive

Somnath 'doesn't care' for Govt's stand on Jharkhand

     New Delhi: Indicating that he would go ahead with the Speakers conference, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today said he was not worried about the government's rejection of his suggestion for a Presidential reference on the Supreme Court's interim order on the Jharkhand Assembly issue. "I don't care what the sarkar says. I don't care," he told newsmen who wanted to know his views on the government's decision not to make a Presidential reference on the apex court order advancing the trial of strength and directing video-graphy of the proceedings on Mar 11. Asked by a questioner the "confrontation" between Parliament and Judiciary, he shot back at him saying "do you realise the significance of what you are asking. There is no confrontation." He said he had decided to call a meeting of the Speakers of all Assemblies "when the matter arose and not subsequently".

Army major killed in encounter in J and K (Go To Top)

     Srinagar: An army Major was killed in an encounter with militants in Badgam today, a defence minister spokesman said. He said troops, on a specific information, cordoned off village Chandal in Badgam district early this morning to nab militants. However, when the troops were about to storm a particular house, they came under heavy fire from militants hiding inside. According to the sources, troops also retaliated and in the encounter one Major was killed. Later, reinforcement was rushed to the area from nearby camps and efforts were on to eliminate two to three militants hiding inside the house. The encounter was still on when reports last came in, he said.

Mild tremor hits Mumbai and Koyna region (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Light tremors were felt in Mumbai and adjoining areas as an earthquake with an intensity of 5.1 on the Richter Scale hit the Koyna region today. The officials said that the tremor was felt at 3:14 pm and was epicentred at Koyna region in Western Maharashtra. No casualty of life or damage to property has been reported so far. "Yes, I felt the earthquake. Everything in my shop was shaking," said a panic-stricken resident. "Someone was standing on the terrace and he said there seems to be an earthquake because everything started shaking. Then the lift stopped," said a panic-stricken local. As soon as the quake struck, people came out in the safe places and offices and buildings in the city and its suburbs were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Earlier, on December 11, 1967 at 4:21 in the morning, an earthquake with an approximate magnitude of 7.0 had shaken the Koyna region. The quake had killed nearly 200 people and caused widespread damage. Later, a moderate earthquake had struck the Koyna Valley and adjoining parts of western Maharashtra on 12 March 2000. It had a magnitude of 5.1 and was felt strongly in the region, including at many places in the Chandoli-Koyna region. Mumbai is, reportedly prone to moderate intensity earthquakes ranging up to about 6.5 on the Richter scale. The city lies over more than 10 seismic fault lines and the coastal plain to the east of Mumbai is prone to earthquakes of even high density.